


Odinsleep

by TeamThor



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Coma, Hurt Thor (Marvel), Other, Post-Infinity War, Recovery, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-01-10 21:40:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12308352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamThor/pseuds/TeamThor
Summary: The threat of Thanos has been defeated, and the Avengers had survived the aftermath. But when their demi-god ally falls into a seemingly endless sleep, how will they react?





	1. Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I don't know much about Thor lore, and I don't think this is how the Odinsleep works. I just wanted to try out another sad-ish Thor fic, and this seemed like a fairly good concept at the time. Hope you enjoy!

It was over.  
Thanos was dead.  
Thor could hardly believe it. The prospect of defeating Thanos alone had seemed impossible, but with the infinity gauntlet, it was inconceivable. And yet, still, it had happened. That isn’t to say it was a victory without cost. So much had been lost. Everyone involved was carrying injuries, and the memories of this fight would probably haunt them all for the rest of their lives. But it was done. The fight was over.  
Thor gingerly placed a hand onto his head, a wave of dizziness coming over him. He didn’t think he’d ever fought that hard in his life. It made the Destroyer from all those years ago seem like a fly in comparison. He glanced up, where the sounds of a muted victory were coming from his teammates. Some were smiling, but most just looked exhausted. He breathed a sigh of relief, and began walking towards his companions. Those that could voice their welcomes did, and those that could not gave him a weary nod. 

“So, we actually went and did it, huh?” Starks robotic voice rang out from inside his suit, which was probably the only thing keeping him upright, judging by the way that Rogers was supporting him. 

“Yeah…I guess we did.” Came the captains reply, a wry grin crossing his face. The display of friendship brought a weak smile to Thor’s face; He had been worried that the rifts of the past were too big to amend, but the threat of Thanos seemed to have brought the team back together.

Natasha looked up from her position on a rock, a look of concern spreading across her face as her eyes landed on the demi-god. “You okay big guy?” 

Thor turned around, glancing behind him for who the widow was mentioning, his first thoughts going to Doctor Banner. But there was no one there, and Doctor Banner was standing behind the widow, very much in human form. Realisation dawned upon him, and he immediately opened his mouth to assure his team-mate of his wellbeing. But the words didn’t come out. It was probably just the shock, the aftermath of the battle catching up with him. He was about to try again, when a low crackling sound began to fill his ears, distorting the words of his companions around him. Another wave of dizziness hit him, causing him to stagger back. 

At this point his companions seemed concerned, and Doctor Banner nervously stepped forward to try and aid Thor, putting one hand on his arm.  
“Thor? What’s wrong?” 

At least that’s what he thought his friend said. It was getting rather hard to tell. It was also getting hard to see, his vision beginning to grow cloudy. He could vaguely make out the forms of his friends, and their concerned tones. Things started to get worse once he felt his knees buckle from under him, and the cold, hard ground collided with his face. And now Banner was shaking his shoulder, trying to get any response out of him. But he couldn’t reply, things were growing dark, and the voices of his companions were growing dim. He suddenly became of how tired he was. And by the gods, was he tired. Everything hurt, and his muscles were exhausted from fighting. He could afford to take a moments rest, he told himself. Just a moment…

“What the hell is wrong with him?” A panicked Stark asked, moving from Caps support to join Banner, who was kneeling beside the unconscious demigod. 

“I don’t know…He’s alive, at least.” Banner spoke in a worried tone, his fingers resting on Thor’s wrist, taking his pulse.

Clint moved down from his perch on a formation of rubble, taking a seat next to Natasha. “Perhaps he’s just out of it? I mean, I could definitely go for a power-nap.” 

“No power-napping until we’re back on the ship, Clint.” Retorted Natasha, looking to the archer with an amused smirk. 

“All we can do for now is wait until we’re back on earth. We’ll deal with everything then, including the power naps.” 

The avengers turned their gaze towards the stars, each one longing for the familiar landscape of home. They’d be alright. Earth medicine was some of the finest stuff out there. And after they were all patched up, they could concentrate on the important things, like relaxing and recovering. Something they hadn’t been able to do in a long time.


	2. The ride home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The flight back to Earth is long, and arduous. Clint reflects on what lies ahead of him now, and thinks of his fallen team-mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So this one is a little more centered around Clint and what he's thinking. Im considering laying it out like this, with each chapter being from a different characters perspective. Let me know what you think! :)

The travel back to earth was to take a few days, at most. Even that seemed too long to wait. A few days of uncomfortable silences, staring into shadows, and trying to fight back the things they had seen. The fight with Thanos had all but killed the Avengers, and for the moment they seemed like husks of their former selves. Stark didn’t joke, Cap didn’t praise. They all just sat there in the common room of the ship, taking as much comfort as they could in each other’s presences. Everyone had different thoughts, but the thought that was running through Clint’s head was relatively simple.  
Hey, at least they weren’t dead, right? They were all still here, after all.  
Except for one that wasn’t.  
They had moved Thor to one of the various bedrooms on the ship the second they had arrived. Even now, it made Clint feel nervous seeing the demigod in such a state of weakness. Hell, the guy was a God. He’d seen Thor take out dozens of trained SHIELD agents, and that was without his powers. So, when he and Natasha had carried the demi-god to a bed, it had just felt…wrong. The spy and the assassin sat down together afterwards, leaving the rest of the team to their own devices. A few moments of awkward quiet passed between them before Clint spoke up. 

“So…no more space-battles for a while then?”

Natasha smirked at his comment, pushing some of her auburn her away from her bruised and bloody face. “I don’t know Clint. I think we should go back and do it again, seen as we all had such a blast the first time around.”

The archer smiled, growing more relaxed and settling into the chair. Natasha and Clint were often able to sit with each other for hours without speaking, yet still managing to feel better. But, if he was honest, Clint did prefer it when they actually spoke. He couldn’t just read her mind.  
“I think when I get back, I’m going to go home. And stay there. For a while, at least.”

“That sounds nice,” Natasha smiled fondly at him, but with a hint of sadness. She liked Clint. He knew her better than anyone else on the team, and was one of the few people she could truly trust. The thought of him leaving...Well. It wasn't her place to decide where he went, but she'd miss him. “I bet they’ll be glad to see you.” 

Clint paused before continuing. He knew what he was about to ask was big. Especially with Natasha. He knew about her trust issues, and he wanted to respect them. But at the same time, he wasn’t just going to leave his friend to stew over the memories of battle. Stuff like that was dangerous. “I was gonna ask if you wanted to come with me. You seem like you need a break.” 

“Yeah. Okay.” Her words sounded as if Clint had passed her the salt at breakfast, but he knew when he looked at her that she was grateful. And he was, too. In all honesty, he didn’t think he could face his family after this. Not by himself.

“It’ll be nice to get back on earth. We can see our families again, and maybe get this ‘normal life’ thing stuck down for once.” Spoke Clint, leaning a little further back into his chair. 

Natasha replied softly as she glanced towards the bedroom area. “I just hope we’re all there to see it.” 

Clint nodded thoughtfully, following her gaze. Thor and he didn’t speak much, but there was a mutual respect. And aside from Natasha, Thor was one of the few people from the team Clint knew before the Avengers programme started. Granted, that relationship was slightly one sided, but still. And especially after the whole mind-invasion with Loki, the two had definitely gotten closer. Apology after apology had come from Thor's behalf, and Clint had waved it off again and again. The invasion still haunted his dreams, but he wasn't about to admit that to the brother of the guy who did that to him. But Thor persisted, and the two had ended up going for a drink together. It had been weird, seeing Thor out of his armour and in 'casual midgardian clothes', but the guy was a laugh. Loud, and definitely odd, but a laugh. And with this new-found friendship came worry. Worry that Thor wouldn't tell the team if something was wrong with him. And something definitely was. When the thunder god had returned from Sakaar, he'd seemed different. And it wasn't just the snazzy haircut, or the lack of a hammer. Thor had seemed quieter, more anxious. Clint had noticed the dark circles stamped under his friend's eyes, and the violent storms that rocked the Avenges building during the nights. He didn’t want to lose his friend. But all he could do now was wait for the ship to return home. The second Thor woke up, Clint would ask. He just had to wake up first, that was all.

A sigh escaped his lips before he could stop it, and he moved his head to rest on the back of his chair. That power-nap was definitely due. He yawned, his eyes falling shut before the words escaped his mouth. “Yeah. Me too, Nat. Me too.”


	3. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days have passed, and Thor hasn't shown any signs of stirring.  
> Sitting by his hospital bed, Banner wracks his brain for something to help his friend, and stumbles upon an important memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the comments guys!  
> I'm sorry this chapter took so long D: I'll try and update more regularly in the future  
> Mild trigger warning, as there's implied self-harm in this chapter. Nothing actually happens, but it's alluded to.  
> Also mild spoilers for Ragnarok, but nothing too major.

Banner liked to think he was a man who noticed things.  
He noticed when his friends had had a particularly bad day, and needed time alone. He also noticed when they needed time with someone, and usually he was more than happy to oblige.  
His team-mates, his friends, were so important to him. Without the Avengers initiative, he had no idea where he’d be by now. Granted, the job could get…trying, at times. And a lot of the time he wanted to quit the whole thing and spend his days destroying microwaves in the lab with Tony. But the initiative had brought the team together, and even if he did leave the Avengers, he’d still stay in contact with them. They were a part of his life now, and he’d be there for them.  
Which was why he felt it was is important to notice things. He wanted to help his friends; Suffering alone was an all too familiar memory for him. So, when Tony was still up in his workshop at 5am, Banner was usually the one to go and talk him into getting some sleep. Or when Cap would stare into the dark corners of the room, trapped in the past, Banner would always try to do or say something to bring him back to the present. He did these things because he knew they’d do the same for him. Hell, the team had come up with a word to control the Hulk, something he hadn’t managed to do for a long time. Whatever the issue, Banner was usually the one to notice it.

Which could be why he felt so bad now. 

The flight back to earth had taken days, and in that time, Thor still hadn’t awakened. The team had run diagnostics the best they could, but to be truthful, they had no idea what was wrong with their friend. One theory that Cap had speculated was being in space. They were pretty ‘deep’ into the unknown. Maybe once they got to familiar turf things would start brightening up? So, they hung onto the hope that Earth could save their friend.

Banner stayed in the hospital room with Thor, should he wake. The team had decided to take it in turns watching over their friend, at least for the first few nights, in case Caps theory turned out to be correct. Now, Banner and Thor hadn’t had the best relationship. God knows their time on Sakaar together had proved that. Thor could be stubborn at times, and when things didn’t go well, the Demigod seemed stumped, and his usual method of moving forward involved hitting a lot of things with his fists. Still, Thor was a very outward guy. If something was wrong (No matter how personal), he’d probably loudly proclaim it to the group and then raise a glass of ale as if it was an accomplishment. The thought of that scenario brought a weak smile to Banners face. Thor had told them pretty much everything; The death of his home world, the loss of Mjolnir, his newly found Kingship. Other things, like the death of his parents had taken time, but he had told them. So why hadn’t he told them that this could happen? That his powers had limits?  
Banner sighed, leaning back in the uncomfortable plastic chair, racking his brain for a cause. Because if there was a cause, then there had to be a cure. If Thors current state was something that could be cured.  
He leant forward, his mind trailing back. 

There had been a discussion, just before the team had suited up to find Thanos. Banner remembered it well. The Avengers had all gathered in the main room, and were discussing the plan of attack. Since it was mainly Stark and Rogers doing the talking, Thor and Banner had taken a step back, leaving the matter to the ‘professionals’, as Stark had referred to them. That was when he noticed the marks.  
Pink, jagged scratches running up the Demigods fore-arm, peeking out from under the arm-guards. His instincts had been to assume the worst. This was something he knew about, and something that had affected him and a lot of his friends. Given the things all the Avengers had seen, it was a wonder no one had done it earlier, but Thor? 

The Demigod shifted his arm, and Banner quickly averted his gaze back to the group. He had to sort this. He quietly looked Thor up and down, regarding him from the side, when he noticed something peculiar. His friend was seemingly looking at the group, listening in on the plans, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. He was almost subconsciously running his nails up and down his arm, scoring red scratches where he touched. Banner frowned; What the hell was he doing?

“Uh, Thor? You all right there?”

The Demigod quickly turned to face him, his hands moving to his sides. He smiled apologetically, and shook his head.  
“Now that you ask, Doctor Banner, I have not been well of late.”

Well, at least he was being open about it. Whenever anyone else had a problem it took Banner days of digging and persuading to get them to say anything.  
“Well what’s up? Is it something I can help you with?”

Thor paused, seeming to consider Banners question.  
“Actually, yes. I suppose you can.” The demigod took a breath, and his eyes wandered down to the floor. “You will think me mad. The thing I speak of his…abnormal.”

“We’re planning to fight a big purple guy with a bedazzled glove. I think we’re as abnormal as we can get at the moment.”

Thor smirked slightly, and brought his gaze up to match Banners. “It’s…Well…It’s difficult to explain. But it has something to do with my powers. Ever since I lost Mjolnir they’ve been getting harder to contain. I think my hammer helped me conduct them, or something. But without it, they are like the wire of hay.”

“Haywire.”

“That is what I said.” Thor sighed, running a hand through his shorn hair. “It is like the lightning is constantly under my skin. I feel it through every vein, itching to get out. And it worries me, Banner.” He once again turned to look at him, his eyes full of something he’d never expected from Thor. Fear. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

Banner frowned in sympathy, laying one hand on the demigod’s shoulder. No wonder the guy had come to him for advice. He was scared of hurting people.  
That was a fear Banner had been running from all his life.  
The Hulk had run rampant so many times, and hurt so many people. New York, Wakanda, Sokovia. Jesus, he’d even ruined people’s lives on other planets, if you counted Sakaar. He knew how bad it could get, keeping something powerful inside. And he’d seen Thor’s ‘lightning form’. The damage it could do was intense. He’d been keeping the Hulk back for decades.  
Thor had been keeping this locked away for his whole life. Which was, apparently, over 1000 years long. 

He looked up at the Demigod, trying his best to put forward a comforting smile. “Well, you haven’t lightning blasted any of us yet. That’s gotta count for something.”

“I suppose…”

“Look, we’re about to go and probably get ourselves killed. Assuming we survive that, I think we should make some plans for what happens after.”

“Oh?” 

“I got a lifetime of experience dealing with shutting off the Big Guy. How about after this, we sit down, and I can give you some advice. Ok?”

Thor smiled nervously, but his voice rang with gratitude. “Ok.”

Banner shifted in the hospital chair, the plastic beginning to dig into his back. God damnit, he thought, as he looked down once more at his friend. He had a sneaking suspicion that this thing with the powers had something to do with the comatose state Thor was now in. His eyes wandered up to the clock.  
3AM. 30 more minutes until his shift was over.  
He sat up a little straighter, coming to a decision. He’d tell the team, and if Thor wasn’t up in three days, it was time to bring in some extra help.  
Perhaps some off-world help.


	4. An idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The out-of-world help that Banner requires comes through, and begins to get an inkling as to what has been plaguing the fallen Demigod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this! I don't really know much MCU lore or what happens in infinity war, but I'm having a lot of fun writing this. Sorry that this chapter took so long to come out! I hope you enjoy, and thank you to those who left comments/kudos! Once again RAGNAROK SPOILERS

Loki had never expected to see earth again, much less be invited back. Least of all by the Avengers.

The last time he was on earth, he had left one of its shining cities a smouldering ruin, after partaking in a quest to bend all of humanity to its knees. The thought still lingered in his head, even now, that he would’ve been able to do it. It would’ve worked, if not for his brother and his ‘work friends’. The thought of that team made him grimace. Even when Thor had brought him to help fight against Thanos, Loki knew that the team didn’t trust him. Despite what his brother had told them, he still caught every glare and mistrusting glance, heard every scornful whisper. Words of “can we trust him?” and “After what he did?” rang through the base once he’d arrived, and they didn’t stop until after the battle was over.  
Of course, Loki had been expecting this. Thor had even given him a detailed warning about what could go wrong with their partnership, including a disclaimer that the Archer had been given full permission to punch Loki in the face. Even after Thanos had been defeated, Loki didn’t stay long. He said some words to Thor- something along the line of “see you next time” before leaving to see where the wind would take him. 

And now he was back on earth, being walked through the corridors of the Avengers base by none other than the Man of Iron himself.

“I’m still on the fence about trusting you, but we’re kind of at an end point here. Banner recommended you, which I did not see coming, but I suppose a few adventure-packed days in space can form some odd friendships, huh?”

It took about 10 painful seconds of silence before Loki realised that Stark actually wanted a reply. “We aren’t friends. He just aided my brother and I in murdering our sister.”

“…I’m not gonna ask.” Stark went to tap in a few codes on a door, but hesitated, looking towards Loki with concern. “We really need your brother back, Loki. So just-” Stark sighed, removing the sunglasses from his face and meeting Loki’s eyes with sincerity. “Please.”

“...I understand.” 

“And hey, if you fix him, I’ll get you that drink.”

Loki allowed a wry smile to creep across his face once Stark had left. New York had seemed so long ago, with all that had happened. The door slid open, and Loki walked inside of the room where his brother had lain since they had returned to earth. Beeping monitors lined the walls, telling information of Thors heart-beat, his breathing rate. All wrong, probably, seen as Thor was an Asgardian. 

Loki sauntered over to the bed where Thor lay, looking down at his unconscious form with a cold, analytical eye. 

“Hello brother.” Loki spoke softly for once, unsure of how the sound of his voice would affect his brother, if Thor could even hear him. Judging by the increased beeps on the wall, he guessed that he probably could. 

“Surprisingly, I’m not here to hurt you. Stark sent me, of all people. He wants me to find out what’s wrong with you.”

His brother didn’t respond, lying in an unnatural pose that Loki guessed was to resemble sleep. Although Thor definitely didn’t sleep like that: With the covers pulled neatly up to his chest, his arms resting by his sides. And the silence, too. When they were children Thor had snored like a beast from legend; It had gotten so bad that Loki used to complain to his mother about moving rooms. 

He smirked at the memory, but the fond nostalgia quickly faded as more unpleasant experiences began to crawl out of Loki’s past. 

Memories of the time before Thor had managed to force the thunder under his control, when Loki would wake to the sound of his brother screaming and thrashing in his sleep.  
He had been so afraid back then. He remembered being pinned to the wall with fear, unable to take his eyes from the arcs of thunder that were ripping from his brother’s body as it tossed and turned, plagued by some unknown nightmare. He had forgotten how long he had sat there that night, until he felt his mothers hand rest on his shoulder. 

“Come, Loki. We should go.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

Frigga had shaken her head at the question, smoothing down Loki’s tousled hair before leading him out of the room. He had turned at the last minute to see Odin shaking Thor by the shoulders, trying to drag his son out of the nightmare. Loki had spent the rest of the night in his mother’s arms, flinching at the sound of the storm outside. 

He looked down at his brothers sleeping form now, and wondered if he was trapped in those nightmares once again. At least his powers were contained now, and he could sleep without destroying half of the building. 

If Odin hadn’t abandoned them, Thor would probably be sleeping normally, as opposed to the state he was in now. Hearing the world around him, but unable to respond. The situation was similar to when Odin had fallen all those years ago, while Thor was still exiled.

Odin had used all that power to get them back from Jotunheim, and then he had slipped into that blasted sleep. Loki frowned, as an inkling of an idea crept forward. He needed to have a discussion with Stark.  
He turned to leave, but paused at the doorway, looking back to Thor. 

What if his brother never woke?  
The two had spent so long as enemies, fighting over almost everything, even from childhood. It had only been with the death of their mother that they had started to recognize each other as friends, and it had only been after the death of Odin that they had started to fight alongside each other, rather than against.  
Would it really have to take another death to get them back to the way they once were?  
Despite all that had happened, Loki wanted a brother. One that he could talk with, laugh with, fight with. He just hoped that Thor felt the same way. When…if he awakened, Loki resolved to talk to his brother. 

“Well, I think I know what’s wrong with you. I should probably go and inform the man of iron.” Loki hesitated, before brushing some of the hair away from his brothers face. “You better wake up soon, or I’ll have to use this opportunity to take over earth again.” 

Loki finally exited the room, leaving Thor alone in the dark.


	5. Passing Notes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its Natasha's turn to reflect on Thors absence, and her thoughts lead her back to a disastrous meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a little bit different. It's a bit more light I think, and more structured around a flashback rather than actually being in the hospital room. Tell me what you guys think! I'm so glad you're enjoying this so far :)

Gods. Lizard-men. Robots. Friends.  
Natasha had fought some weird battles in her time, but Thanos had definitely taken the cake. And half of the planets skyscrapers. 

When she first heard about Thanos, she wasn’t sure how to react. If things had been normal, maybe she could’ve kept up the ice-cold, black widow attitude that she’d worked so hard to maintain. If the formula of speech, stats, quips, and cheers had been used she would’ve probably been able to handle the extra-terrestrial threat without breaking a sweat. But she didn’t get the usual ‘pre-battle prep talk’ that she had come to expect from her team. Instead she had walked into the meeting room to sombre warnings, last-minute phone calls to friends and family, and the strong expectation that they were all going to die.   
Which made winning seem even more impossible.

But they had, and the team had had a few weeks now to blend back into normal society. To relax, and drag their fragile minds out of battle mode and into day to day life. But their demi-gods absence served as a constant reminder of what they had suffered. The Avengers kitchen no longer reeked of burning pop-tarts, and no Asgardian weapons had found their way into the umbrella stands or coat-hooks. The general lack of Thor-ishness wasn’t to be unexpected in the building; After all, Thor did spend most of his time in space doing “space things”, as his friend Darcy had described them to Natasha. But that was different. It was easier when he’d just gone out to some distant planet, because the Avengers knew he’d be coming back. Sure, it might take a while, but he would. 

Natasha spent a lot of time sparring in the training rooms to try and work out the adrenaline that was still somehow running through her system. Sometimes Steve or Clint joined her, but she was usually on her own. This, unfortunately, gave her a lot more space to think. She thought about various things during her time in the training area; Clint’s offer back at his farm, the memories of the fight, the loss of their Demi-God. She knew that Thor was still alive, but it was so hard to see him as Thor, son of Odin, God of Thunder, rather than just another casualty. 

Thor and Natasha really didn’t have that much in common, now that she thought back on it. She was quiet, untrusting, and liked to take things cautiously so that when she picked her battles, she knew that she would win. Thor, on the other hand, was almost completely the opposite. Loud, expressive, and preferred to charge into the fray with just the hope of victory to spur him on. But, weirdly enough, one of the things that had brought them together was the aftermath of the accords.   
After Thor and Banner (And Loki, for some god-forsaken reason) had returned from some far-off world, the newly expanded team had a meeting to discuss their plan of action, headed by none other than Thaddeus Ross. It probably should have occurred to the team that Thor wasn’t actually present during the teams ‘divide’, but this issue became all the more prominent during the course of that meeting. 

Dear God, that meeting. 

It had started well enough, the group sitting down at the sleek table, but the underlying tension was definitely there. Sneaking glares across sides and whispers of accusations rang through the glass-panelled room. Ross stood at the head of the table, bringing back stinging memories of the Accords. He cleared his throat, and shuffled some papers before talking.

“Now, before we begin, I-”

One of the doors to the meeting room swung open, and Thor strode into the room with an air of limited patience around him.   
“Friends! It is most good to see you all again,” He clapped Clint heartily on the back, causing the archer to wince, and cast a small but desperate look towards Natasha. Thor sat down heavily in the seat beside her, and practically smacked an ancient-looking document onto the table. “I bring tidings of great joy. I have been doing research, and I have come up with a plethora of ideas in order to defeat the threat of Thanos!” 

“…Thor. Thank you for joining us.” Ross’s voice was taut with underlying authority, and his steely eyes matched his cold tone. 

“You are most welcome, Mister…?”

It seemed to take Ross a moment to realise that Thor had directed this question to him. Clearly the man wasn’t used to people not knowing who he was. “Ross. And as much as I admire your…enthusiasm, there’s another issue we’re going to discuss first.” 

Thor raised an eyebrow, failing to disguise the blatant confusion on his face as Ross launched into a full evaluation of what had gone wrong. 

Natasha sat still, although the feeling of frustration that was bubbling in her chest was getting a little hard to ignore. It was all so unfair. The Avengers had saved the entire earth twice. The entire team had put their lives on hold, thrown away the chance of living normally, just to protect the people. And what was the thanks they got? Lectures about being responsible from Thaddeus Ross. What was the most frustrating part of the Accords was probably the fact that Natasha agreed with its premise. They did need to be more careful, and having the UN involved would probably benefit them in some way. But then this premise had somehow been corrupted into underwater prisons and people like Rogers being forced into villainy. 

A small scroll of rolled up paper distracted Natasha from Ross’s speech. She glanced down, frowning in confusion as she unrolled it.   
‘DEAREST NATASHA,  
IT IS I, THOR ODINSON. I AM SITTING IN THE CHAIR NEXT TO YOU.’  
She glanced to her left, looking in disbelief at Thor as a wry smirk crossed her face. Passing notes? Really? She read on.  
‘THIS MEETING HAS LITTLE IMPORTANCE REGARDING THE ISSUES OF THANOS. GIVEN THAT THIS IS A UNIVERSE-ENDING CATASTROPHE, I BELIEVE IT IS A MORE PROMINENT ISSUE AND DESERVES DISCUSSION. WHAT I AM TRYING TO ARTICULATE IS THAT I WISH TO DIVERT THE MEETINGS ATTENTION TOWARDS THIS. GIVEN THAT YOU HAVE PROVEN TO BE A MOST WISE MEMBER OF THE AVENGERS, I HAVE DECIDED TO ASK YOUR ADVICE. DO YOU BELIEVE THIS VENTURE TO BE A GOOD ONE?’

Natasha re-read the paper a few times, then slowly brought up her gaze to Thor, who was sitting patiently, waiting for her opinion. She folded the paper, and stuck it in her jacket pocket, giving a small, curt, nod.   
Multiple things happened after that, all of which gave Natasha more respect for her Godly companion. Thor had stood up, and promptly announced that he wished to speak about the threat of Thanos. There had been a lengthy debate, at least one coffee mug was smashed, but somehow Thor succeeded, leaving all the Avengers either holding back laughter or looking on with immense confusion as Thor had started listing all the ways in which they could be killed when fighting Thanos.

It had definitely been one of the more interesting meetings that had occurred. 

Natasha stood in the training room, looking back over the note. The memory of that train wreck still brought a small smile to her face. At least until she remembered that she wasn’t in that meeting, and that Thor wasn’t out breaking up meetings and smashing coffee mugs. He was laying alone, half dead, in a hospital room, and no one knew what to do to get him back.   
She had never been one for praying. And when you’re dealing with actual Gods from Norse mythology, it almost seems pointless to try. But she hoped that Thor would be there to disrupt many more meetings in the future. It was…good to have a someone like that on the team. Someone who could still bring smiles onto their team-mates faces, intentionally or not. Someone who talked enthusiastically about the time Hulk had ‘bested him in the art of combat’ as if it was an achievement. Someone who could see the good in almost everything, even his snake of a brother who had tried to take over the world. Even if seeing the good in things made you look crazy.   
After the things that had happened during the accords, it was good to have a little bit of crazy around the Avengers building.  
And with the memories of the battle of Thanos, the team sure needed some craziness now.


	6. A helping hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Steves turn to voice his thoughts, and the sadness turns to frustration as he tries to think of ways to help his fallen friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter came so late!  
> I don't really know much about Cap or Bucky, so I hope this chapter is okay! It's a little different from the other ones, so again any criticism to help me improve is welcome!  
> Again, SPOILERS FOR RAGNAROK!

A few more weeks had passed, and Thor showed no signs of waking. 

According to Loki, it had something to do with Thors excessive use of his new-found lightning ability during the battle with Thanos. For a guy who only just figured out how to manually operate electrical devices, it had been pretty intimidating. When Thor had landed back on earth, veins ablaze with this unfamiliar light, Steve had barely recognised him. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the loud, rib-crushing hug he’d received Steve probably wouldn’t have recognised him at all. 

The dynamic in the team seemed awkward now, to say the least. Thor had never been all that intimate with the Avengers, only really showing up for the battles and then being whisked away back to Asgard on some business or another. Despite all this, the loss of their demi-god left the Avengers…well, muted. People tried to get on with their own lives as best they could, but something about Thors absence stung in their hearts and nagged at the back of their thoughts. 

It had all been so urgent at first. Calling in Loki, running all these tests. Steve had practically been swamped by the efforts of trying all different methods to bring Thor back to consciousness. But nothing had worked, and by the looks of things nothing would. So, people began to filter out. Natasha and Clint discussed going back to the farm together, Stark and Banner spent more time in the lab, and obviously Loki had left as soon as he could. It almost seemed that Steve was the only one willing to stay in the Avengers building, which was ironic seen as it was him who left the Avengers in the first place.  
No one was sure what to try, and with Loki’s theory of ‘Odinsleep’ becoming more prominent, it seemed that all that was left to do was wait. Which was something Steve wasn’t comfortable with doing.  
If his friends needed help, he would give it to them. That was what friends were for, and Steve liked to think that the team would do the same for him. Whatever aid they required, Steve was more than happy to offer it as quickly as he could. Which, he guessed, was why this was making him so anxious. The team had done everything they could. There were no more tests to run, no more favours to call in. The only help Steve could offer was waiting around the Avengers building in case Thor decided to wake. 

With the waiting came the thinking. Steve definitely considered Thor a friend, as he did with pretty much all of the other Avengers. Sure, when Thor first landed out of the sky and attempted to bludgeon Steve to death with a hammer, friendship had been the last thing on his mind. But despite their differences, Steve liked Thor. He’d had fun when the two had worked together in the field, using Thor’s hammer against Steve’s shield to send enemies flying. He’d never expected to get along with someone as loud and outward as Thor, but he was glad that they did. 

Steve had been worried that the Avengers would never re-unite because of what happened. It was a long shot that the threat of Thanos would bring them back together, and even then, the tensions were high. One of Steve’s concerns after the team re-united was explaining this to the members who’d been absent. How the hell was he supposed to explain it? Walk up to Thor and Banner with a hearty slap on the shoulder and say ‘Hey, the Avengers are totally dead, and I’m a fugitive! Welcome back to Earth!’? 

Luckily, he didn’t have to explain much. The threat of Thanos and the possible end of the universe slightly overshadowed the Avenger’s divide. Even so, Steve was done keeping secrets from his team. If Tony and he weren’t going to get along, Thor and Banner at least deserved to know why. These were the thoughts that were running through Steve’s head as he walked down the corridors of the Avengers building, about a week before the battle for Earth. Stark was closer with Banner than he was, so Steve had taken it upon himself to explain the situation to Thor. Reaction-wise, he wasn’t sure what to expect. When Thor had left earth, everything had been fine. The enemy of Ultron had been defeated, the sun had been shining, and there were even some new members on the team. How was the God of Thunder going to react to the news that the team that was supposed to save earth had split?

Steve pushed open the door to the training room, the squeak of the hinges echoing loudly through the mirrored walls. His eyes scanned the room, flicking over the various workout equipment and weaponry that was scattered around the otherwise pristine training room. To his surprise, he didn’t find Thor using any of it. The demi-god was standing in front of one of the large mirrors, one hand tracing the eyepatch that now rested on his face.

“Is…Is this a bad time?” Steve asked tentatively, leaning in the doorway. 

“Hm?” Thor glanced up, turning to face Steve with a quiet smile. “Oh, not at all, Captain Rogers. Do you require assistance?” 

Steve grinned slightly. Captain Rogers. How long had it been since he’d been called that? “No, I just thought I’d drop by and…” He paused, glancing momentarily at Thor’s eyepatch, all thoughts of the accords going out of his head. “See how you were doing.”

Thor frowned in confusion, looking about the room as if expecting something. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

Steve sighed, looking away. “No, of course you’re not fine. You lost an eye, a world, a parent…Things aren’t fine with you.”

Steve, regrettably, knew about PTSD. He’d served on a battlefield before, and in many ways still did today. People rarely came away unscathed in battle. At least, Steve knew he didn’t. Memories of previous wars echoed in his brain years after they had taken place. Phantom pains of bullets from long ago stung in his sides every night, and faces that were long dead were as clear as day. Wherever Thor and Banner had been, it couldn’t have been that different. And Steve didn’t care if the guy was a ‘God’. Thor was his friend, and he wasn’t about to let a friend go through something like this alone.

“This really isn’t the best time to be discussing my personal welfare, Captain Rogers.” Thor shifted nervously from foot to foot, trying to busy himself with flicking through the various training programmes on the holographic screen in front of him. “We’re about to fight for the fate of the entire Universe.” 

“How did it happen?”

“…Excuse me?”

Steve gestured to his own eye. “How did it happen?”

Thor sighed, looking at Steve with a wry smile. “You’re not going to stop asking until I tell you, are you?”

Steve folded his arms, shaking his head briefly. “Non-negotiable, I’m afraid.”

“Right. Well, it’s a long story. But to shorten it, I received my…injury…while battling with Hela, who was going to destroy Asgard.” Thor turned his gaze towards the window, with a look that Steve had seen on many soldiers faces, including his own. “I really thought I could beat her. I mean, I destroyed Malekith, I beat Loki, I…I thought this would be easier. But, it wasn’t. We ended up having to kill Asgard to stop her.”

Steve paused, letting the silence echo throughout the chambers. “We can’t win every battle, Thor.”

“That is easy for you to say. You’re Captain America.” Thor turned to look at him with something akin to admiration. “You’ve lead the Avengers to victory against Gods, against weird…robot…monsters?” A small sigh escaped the demi-gods lips. “You aren’t used to failure.”

Not used to failure. Now that was new. Steve smirked slightly, thinking back to the streets of Brooklyn. He hadn’t been Captain America then. He’d just been a small, skinny, kid who didn’t like bullies. And he hadn’t changed all that much, not where it mattered. He still didn’t like bullies, and judging by the looming threat of Thanos, he still didn’t know how to pick his fights.

“Y’know, there was a time where I wasn’t Captain America. And I got beat, a lot. But I had a friend. Someone who would always help me back up when I needed it. Someone who cared. And I guess that’s why I didn’t stay down for long. Because I always had someone to lend a hand. And you know what? You do too.” 

“…If you’re suggesting Loki I really don’t think-”

“I’m not suggesting Loki.” Steve chuckled, putting one hand on the demi-gods shoulder. “I’m talking about me. About the Avengers. We have our differences, but at the end of the day, we’re friends. And friends help each other out.”

Thor lowered his head, grinning slightly. “This friend of yours sounds like someone I would like to meet.”

Steve nodded, looking towards the exit of the training room. “You will. I think you’ll get along great.”

And they had. The team of friends had banded together and beaten Thanos. If Thor had been suffering over memories of the battle, Steve could’ve lended a hand. But he wasn’t. He was unconscious in a hospital room, and the only help Steve could give now was sitting and waiting. 

And he was really getting tired of waiting.


	7. Theories and facts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony Stark takes a turn to reflect on Thor's fall, and the methods of waking him up. But he needs to find one that works, or the Avengers puzzle might lose a piece

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I apologise for having taken so long!  
> I'm so glad you're all liking the series, and all the lovely comments that have been left make me happy to be writing. I've planned to do 3 more chapters after this, and I'll try to be a little more punctual with those.  
> This chapter will be a little different, and again, I apologise for any inaccuracies because I don't usually write much xD  
> Do you guys prefer the flashbacks or the present-day chapters?

A month.

It seemed stupid to be counting days, but that’s how long it had been so far.

One whole month.

Tony Stark wasn’t a man who got confused very often. If there was a problem, whether it was with one of his machines or with his company he would find a solution. He’d offered up several solutions to the Thunder conundrum, and none of them had worked. They’d returned to earth, and he’d put Thor in a hospital bed, hoping that medicine would be the answer. He’d called Loki, for Gods sake, in an attempt that a familiar face from Thor's past might rouse him from his slumber. Every test that could be run had been, and every method that he could think of had been tried. Nothing. 

Failure had never been in Tony’s vocabulary, and he wasn’t about to add it now. 

He knew he should be feeling sad, that he should be praying for Thors recovery. But in his experience, prayer didn’t seem to solve much. If there was some Norse God of wishes out there in the stars, then Tony’s life would certainly be a lot different. He’d sleep like a normal person, for one. The nightmares of his friends dying at his feet and the phantom pains that still somehow stung around where the Arc reactor once was wouldn’t be there either. 

Hard work is what got wishes answered. He’d proven that to himself, for sure. When Pepper had left him, he thought she’d been gone for good. But he reached out, they talked, and now they were engaged. Domestic bliss had never been so close. Yet, he couldn’t enjoy it. Tony was a man who couldn’t rest with an unsolved problem. It nagged at the back of his mind, shifted underneath his mattress when he tried to sleep. And this problem was no different.

But the question was, how to solve it? 

He thought about Thor, and all the things he knew about him.  
Thing number 1) The guy wasn’t human, that’s for sure. The way Thor talked about events that happened hundreds of years ago like they were last week was definite proof of that. So, that lead to conclusion number 1) Long lifespan. Maybe having such a long lifespan lead to long sleeps such as this?  
No, that wouldn’t make sense. He’d seen, and heard Thor sleep normally before, and it never lasted longer than 8 hours. Thank God for that, because Thor snoring sounded like throwing a brick into a cement mixer. It was especially awkward, seen as Thor didn’t seem to grasp the concept of a bed. He just sprawled wherever he saw fit, making for some very odd morning encounters.

So, moving on to thing number 2) Thor had lightning powers. And not just from a hammer. Tony had had to hold in a very unmanly noise when Thor had landed on earth, veins and eye ablaze with white lightning. With that kind of voltage, the guy could probably power Tony’s whole facility. He’d considered asking Thor if he could hook him up to a power grid for scientific reasons, but somehow, he thought that suggestion wouldn’t go down too well. Conclusion number 2), perhaps the lightning powers had something to do with Thors coma. Over exertion was a strong possibility, but then that didn’t give Tony an answer. He needed a cure, not a cause. 

Thing number 3…

It was useless. Tony didn’t know what was wrong with Thor, or how to cure it. He rested his head down onto his lab desk with a heavy sigh, letting his pencil slip out of his hand. He didn’t like not knowing.  
Soon, he felt Peppers hands resting on his shoulders.

“It’s 4am, Tony. You need to sleep.”

He sighed wistfully, allowing Pepper to guide him back up into a sitting position. “I can’t figure this one out, Pep. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“You’ve tried all you can try. Staying up and bashing your head against the desk isn’t going to do anything.”

A moment of silence followed before Tony responded, his voice thick with emotion. “I can’t let my team down again.”

Pepper frowned at this, moving around so she could see Tony’s face. He was still staring at the scrawled notes, the different theories that had been drawn up about his friend’s absence. To say Thor and Tony had a difficult friendship would be an understatement. Thors short temper and Tony’s sarcastic comments didn’t mix well, at least, they didn’t use to. But when Thor returned to earth, he’d seemed different. Pepper wasn’t sure what to make of it, but it had made the two get along…easier. The whole Avengers team seemed to work differently under the threat of Thanos. Pepper was just glad Tony had come back alive. 

“Hey, look at me.” 

Tony lifted his face up to meet Peppers eyes as she moved her hands up towards his face.

“Your friend does need you, Tony. But you aren’t going to be of any help to him like this. Torturing yourself isn’t going to fix what happened.” 

“But if I can just figure this out-”

“I know, I know. But Thor needs Tony Stark at the best of his ability, not sleep deprived and sad.” She stood up, keeping a firm hold of Tony’s hand. “Come to bed. You can try again in the morning.” 

A small smile crept across Tony’s face at Peppers tone. “I really don’t have any say in this, do I?”

“Not in the slightest.” 

With little reluctance, Tony followed her across the lab, turning off lights as he went. 

As he lay in bed in the early hours of the morning, that thought kept swimming through his head. He could try again. And again, and again, and again. But he had nothing left to try. If Loki, Thor's own brother, the guy who almost toppled New York had no idea what was going on, then how could he? 

And if he didn’t find out, what would happen then?  
Would they just leave Thor in the hospital room with the hope that time could heal him?  
How long could they wait before…before the worst had to happen?

Because they couldn’t wait around forever. Tony had seen enough hospital shows to know what happened to coma patients after too long, and that wasn’t something he wanted to happen to his friend.  
He’d lost too many people. His parents, his mentor, hell, even that doctor in the cave from all those years ago. He’d even almost lost Pepper. And even though he and Thor didn’t get on that well, or that they didn’t know much about each other, he would certainly miss the guy. The Avengers were like a puzzle to Tony. Each piece fit in perfectly to make the bigger picture. But if one piece was lost, no matter whether it was a side piece or a centre piece, the picture would be ruined. Of course, the fight with Thanos had almost set fire to the puzzle and hit the smouldering ashes repeatedly with a shovel, but they’d persevered.  
They’d done so much for the world. And they all deserved their break. Every one of them deserved a happy ending to their stories. 

Tony couldn’t, wouldn’t let Thor be the exception. No matter how damn hard he had to try.  
They’d fought to end the fight. And they were all going to go home.


	8. On the way to Valhalla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor had always been so sure of himself. After all, he was a God. What had he to be afraid of?  
> Laying in a hospital bed, trapped in the prison of his mind, it turned out there was a lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow this one took a while, sorry about that.  
> This chapters kind of short, I'm running out of ideas a little and I've still got two more chapters left. Thanks for sticking with me this far, though!

Thor had felt a lot of things in his life, but never helpless. At least, not to this level.

He didn’t know how long it had been since his collapse, but enough people had come and go that he thought it had been months. At least now he could confirm the rumours about Odinsleep. He’d heard every one of his friends pleads for him to wake up, felt every reassuring hand. And in the end, that just made things worse. If he had the power to sit up right this second, did they not think he would? He wanted more than anything for this nightmare to be over. He just wanted to see someone, anyone. He’d even take the sight of Tony Stark's insufferable smirk over this…this nothingness he was trapped in.

The worst part about this was how much time he had to himself. Since no one else was there for company, he was alone with his thoughts, and that was far from good. At first, it had seemed hopeful. Thanos had been defeated, and this was a minor setback, he’d surely wake up soon. His body just needed to recover, that was all.

And then the days started turning into weeks, and a feeling of dread built up in his stomach. Of course, he couldn’t tell anyone that. He just had to sit with it. But he trusted Stark, and he trusted Banner. Those two were brilliant: He had faith in them. After all, they’d come up with Ultron. They could come up with something to cure him of this ailment. He just had to wait. 

And he did. He waited, and waited, and waited, and still nothing happened. People eventually stopped sitting by his bedside. At first, he was grateful. The way they talked at him, rather than to him was almost maddening. He wasn’t a corpse yet. He was Thor Odinson, King of Asgard. No way was this the end for him. At least, he hoped it wasn’t. By the Gods, he really hoped it wasn’t. 

There was so much he had yet to do. He needed to run Asgard, he needed to keep track of Loki, he needed to help his fellow Avengers in the fight against evil. He needed to apologise to…a lot of people. Mainly Doctor Banner. They had spent the entire journey back to earth prior to Thanos cooped up together in a spaceship, and that had caused some friction to say the least. He still shuddered at the memory of monopoly night. 

And…Jane. He wanted to speak to her, even though he wasn’t exactly sure what he’d say. After all, they’d “broken up”, in Midgardian terms. That would generally make his presence a little awkward. His quest for the infinity stones had led him to leave earth for years, only visiting for a week or so to help with Avengers matters. It just…It hadn’t seemed fair on either of them to continue that. To hold out hope that someday things would be normal but have that someday be years into the future. It wasn’t right. But the infinity stones were done with now, and so was Asgard. That surely had to mean something. He still loved her. Jane, the brilliant scientist, who studied the stars in the sky with a beautiful light to her eyes. Honestly, even if seeing her meant he had to get hit by her car a third time, he’d do it. He’d get hit by a thousand cars just for the chance to apologise for leaving her. 

This wasn’t the closest Thor had come to death. According to Selvig, he’d actually died that day the destroyer came. Granted, he’d come back, but the sentiment was still there. He’d also almost been crushed by Malekith's spaceship that one time. If it hadn’t been for his friends, he’d be a pile of Asgardian mess on the ground in London. 

His dignity, however, had definitely died at least 10 times by now. He really needed to stop getting hit by things now that he was a King. When he had met the King of Wakanda, that man had seemed so stoic, so “cool” if he was using Darcy’s words. It had made Thor realise that if he wanted any chance of being respected in Midgardian government he at least needed to stop referring to U.N as the 'un', and possibly start paying attention to the affairs of this world. The last great affair he'd really paid attention to was the bubonic plague, and that had been enough to put him off of earthly culture for the foreseeable future. But the meeting of the King of Wakanda showed Thor that there were so many allies he had yet to properly introduce himself to. The Man of Spiders, the Man of Ants, Sam son of Will, just to name a few. And he fully intended on doing so, when he woke up. 

If he woke up, that is. 

Things hadn’t been going to well of late. The Midgardian doctor’s words had become hushed around him, and he was finding it difficult to keep up hope. Sleep and wakefulness started to blend together. So many times, he’d wake up from a dream, and be about to sit up and swing his legs over the side of the bed, then his situation would set in. And he’d spent another day trapped inside his own mind.  
Thor had thought he was ready to die when the Destroyer showed its face. He’d thought he was ready to die when facing down Thanos. But now, alone in this hospital room, surrounded by beeping machinery and wires, he realised that he wasn’t ready at all. He didn’t feel like a warrior king, awaiting entrance to the gates of Valhalla. He just felt afraid. 

Afraid that maybe there’d be no Valhalla, that there was just an eternity of darkness that awaited him. Afraid that his friends would give up hope.  
He didn’t want to die here. 

'By the Gods, please. Don’t let me die here'


	9. Back in Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tale draws to an end, and we turn to Jane Foster to see her thoughts on all things thunder-y.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter took so long to reach you guys, i'm so sorry omg  
> exams have been hell but im finally free and it's about damn time we finished this whump-fest  
> im glad you've all been enjoying my garbage as much as i've enjoyed writing it  
> once again, not a professional writer, this was just a big feelsy thing i wanted to do

Jane Foster was once again presented with a problem she couldn’t solve. One involving a blonde demigod, SHIELD agents, and a threat of her world breaking apart. Only this time it was different. Instead of driving into tornadoes, battling robots and dark elves, she was sitting by Thor’s bedside, waiting. For what, she didn’t know. It had been months since Thor had fallen into what they were now calling the Odinsleep (on the advice of Loki, of all people), and nothing had changed. It was weird, she’d give almost anything for it to be another one of their adventures. At least then they had a goal, steps to complete. She was a scientist after all. Method was important, it was the only way to solve problems. 

Right now, nothing seemed right. She didn’t feel like a scientist, and the whole ordeal was like a bad dream, a simulation in an experiment. Thor shouldn’t be there, laying amongst machines and wires. He should be destroying Stark’s kitchen, laughing too loudly with Darcy at the TV. 

He should be here.

She ran her hand over his, sighing wistfully. Everything felt so…hopeless. Especially after things had been going so right. When Thor had returned to earth, she’d learned of Asgard’s destruction, Odin’s death, and of the doom of Thanos. But in all this heartbreak, there had been hope. Thor was staying on earth now, and he’d wanted to give things between them another shot. Without the distance. Jane remembered the day well – How he’d turned up at her door, drenched from the rain, still fresh from some battle or another. She remembered his sheepish smile, the stammer in his voice as he’d tried to explain why things ended the way they had. And why they should restart. 

Jane didn’t like to be put on hold. Left as a reserve, something to fill the space between battles. And her life held very little room for waiting around. She was always on the move, shifting from one experiment to the next, battling that illness and inventing this technology.   
The two had definitely sensed a change in one another. And after some long talks, they’d agreed to start things back up. Although neither of them would ever admit it (A fact well pointed out by Darcy at almost every movie night or coffee run), they’d missed each other. Things had been good.  
And then Thanos had taken that away from her. Hours of work in the labs with Banner and Stark had done nothing. It took a whole lot of coaxing from Darcy and Selvig just to convince her to come home.   
They’d come with her on every hospital visit since. Sometimes they’d wait outside the door, and other times they’d come in and talk. At the moment, Jane was alone. She’d been done shedding tears a while ago. Like all the doctors had said, it was just a matter of time.

A fact that Thor had liked to joke about, was how on most of their adventures, he almost always ended up unconscious. Got hit by the destroyer, unconscious. Got hit by Malekith, unconscious. Got tazered multiple times on Sakaar, and you guessed it, unconscious. It was almost a sick irony that this was how the final battle had ended. It would’ve been easier if this was just another adventure. If he was just off-world, somewhere out in space. Somehow, he felt even further away here than he ever did when he was out there.  
Jane drew in a shaky breath, brushing one of the stray strands of hair away from Thor’s face. 

“You know, I was planning on showing you around my lab after all this was over. It’s gotten a lot bigger since New Mexico. You wouldn’t believe it,” She paused between sentences, a small crack coming into her voice. “I’d really like to show you, still. Although you probably won’t understand half of what I’m saying. We could always go and get coffee after. Maybe from that place you like. The one where you smashed that mug.” 

Silence was the reply, broken only by the sound of medical equipment and the faint murmuring of the people outside. 

“So, you’re probably tired of hearing this. If you can actually hear anything. Otherwise then I’m just talking to myself like a crazy person. But, on the off-chance that you are still in there, I just…” She took a moment, wiping a few stray tears with the edge of her sleeve. “I just really need you to wake up. I miss you, Darcy misses you, Selvig even misses you. And I bet your team is, too.”   
She took another steady breath, trying to ignore the shaking in her voice. “Just wake up. Please.”

To be honest, she wasn’t sure how much more of this room she could stand. Technology and science was second nature to her, but her gaze was always towards the stars, not towards the looming masses of wires that climbed the walls of this room. She wasn’t even sure how much good those were doing. Thor was definitely very different from any human. Normal humans didn’t smash coffee mugs on the ground. Jane let herself have a few more minutes alone before she finally stood up. As per usual, nothing had changed. I guess it’s back to waiting. 

“…Jane?”

She froze, her breath hitching in her throat. 

No way. 

She slowly turned back towards the bed and was greeted by the sight of those sky-blue eyes. Bleary, and unfocused, but open. 

“Oh my God.” She nervously approached the bedside, watching with anticipation as Thor tried to sit up. She stepped forward, pushing him back down onto the bed. Surprisingly, it didn’t take much, despite the firm muscle under her hands he collapsed back down fairly easily. 

“What…What happened? Where is this?”

“You’re awake.”

He frowned, running one hand over his face, stifling a yawn. “…Am I not supposed to be?”

“Shut up.” She sank back into the chair, moving to throw her arms around Thor. Her demi-god. Who was awake, and talking, and now Darcy was running in and hugging them both, and there were a lot of people crying, and Jane couldn’t think of a damn thing to say.

“Now listen, you can’t fight the doctors this time. These guys are SHIELD medics, or something fancy.” Darcy gently punched Thor on the arm, before practically sprinting out the door to fetch someone.

“I’m still not exactly sure what’s happening.”

“Yeah. Me neither.” Jane laughed, wiping the few remaining tears away from your face. “I thought you’d left me.”

Thor brought his hand up, placing it over hers. A small smile appeared from both of them, despite their subdued voices. “I would never.” 

Jane grinned, leaning forward, and took the demi-god in a passionate embrace. They kissed, something Jane was fairly sure she wasn’t supposed to do with someone fresh out of a coma, but at that moment she didn’t care. And judging by the way Thor was holding her, he didn’t seem to mind either. 

It wasn’t long before she was ushered out of the room by doctors, but it had been long enough. He was okay. They’d be okay. 

“Still can’t believe that the powers of Lady Jane Lovin’ beat modern science.” Darcy looped her arm through hers as they headed out to the waiting room.

“Yeah. Me neither. The team is probably going to give him hell for that.”

“Well, the last time he was in a hospital with you, it was because you hit him with a car. I imagine this is a pretty big step-up”

Jane snorted, the tight feeling in her chest finally disappearing. It had taken some time, but it was finally over. The Thunder God was back in business.


End file.
